Rhythm beating attachment for guitars



A ril 2, 1968 T. w. POSEY 3,375,747

RHYTHM BEATING ATTACHMENT FOR GUITARS Filed June 1, 1966 l2 Thomas W. Posey INVENTOR.

M56404; Em

United States Patent 3,375,747 RHYTHM BEATIN G ATTACHMENT FOR GUITARS Thomas W. Pusey, 2209 Austin, Brownwood, Tex. 76801 Filed June 1, 1966, Ser. No. 554,432 6 Claims. (Cl. 84-453) This invention relates to a novel and useful rhythm beating attachment for guitars and more specifically to an improved form of guard plate for a guitar to be utilized in lieu of the conventional guard plate.

A conventional guard plate is of course supported from the body of a guitar adjacent the strings and on one side of the latter and is utilized to prevent the fingers or a pick held in the fingers from striking and marring the body of the guitar as the strings of the guitar are strummed. Further, the guard provides a rest for some of the fingers of the user of a guitar during some strumming operations.

The guard plate of the instant invention may have a plan shape identical to the guard plate it replaces but it includes an outer surface facing away from the guitar body which, in lieu of being smooth and planar, is roughened in a manner enabling a monotone rhythm beat to be produced by causing the fingers or a pick to move rapidly across the roughened surface of the improved guard plate.

The improved guard plate of the instant invention can be traversed with the fingers or with a pick at the end of each downward stroke of the strings of the guitar or in individual strokes not involving strumming the strings of the guitar.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved guard plate for a stringed instrument such as a guitar and which may be utilized not only as a guard plate but also as a means for causing the associated instrument to produce a monotone rhythmetical beat.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved guard plate in accordance with the immediately preceding object and which may be readily attached to existing guitars in lieu of the conventional guard plates provided therefor.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide an improved guard plate for stringed instruments such as a guitar and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to install so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in installation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a conventional form of guitar shown with the guard plate of the instant invention operatively mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the improved guard plate; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken through a portion of the body of the guitar to which the improved guard plate of the instant invention is operatively secured.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral generally designates a conventional form of guitar including a body 12 having an elongated neck 14 projecting outwardly therefrom. A plurality of strings 16 are secured at one set of corresponding ends to an anchor 18 secured to the body 12 remote from the neck 14 and the strings 16 extend along the neck 16 and over the latter and are secured to tuning pegs 20 carried by the free end of the neck 14 at their ends remote from the anchor 18.

The improved guard of the instant invention is generally referred to by the reference numeral 22 and comprises a panel-like body 24 of any suitable rigid material such as wood, plastic, metal, or composition material, etc. The body 24 has a plurality of parallel elongated grooves 26 formed therein btween which are defined a plurality of parallel ridges 28. The grooves 26 and ridges 28 define a roughened portion of the outer surface or face 30 of the guard 24. The undersurface or inner face 32 of the guard body 24 has a plurality of spacer members 34 secured thereto in any convenient manner and the spacer members may be adhesively secured to the body 12 of the guitar 10 in any convenient manner such as by a suitable adhesive 36.

In use, the guitar 10 may be strummed in the usual manner and the guard 22 may be used as a finger-rest if desired. However, if it is desired to produce only a rhythmical monotone beat, the roughened upper surface or face 30 of the body 24 may be strummed with the fingers or with a pick. Further, the guard 22 may also be utilized to produce an accented beat at the end of each downward stroke of the user of the guitar 10 while the user is strumming the strings 16.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A guard plate for a stringed instrument such as a guitar including a body from which an elongated neck projects, the strings of said instrument extending from the free end portion of said neck along the latter to a remote portion of said body, said guard plate comprising a panel-like body including one side surface which is roughened and being adapted for securement to said guitar body along one side of said strings with said one side surface of said guard body facing outwardly of said guitar body.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said roughened side surface of said guard body is defined by a plurality of outstanding generally parallel ridges extending across said one side surface of said guard body.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said ridges are longitudinally straight and said plate is adapted to be secured to said body with said ridges generally paralleling said strings.

4. In combination with a stringed instrument of the type including a body from which an elongated neck projects and having a plurality of strings secured at one pair of corresponding ends to the free end portion of said neck with said strings extending along said neck and secured to a portion of said body remote from said neck, a guard plate comprising a panel-like body including one side surface which is roughened, said guard plate being secured to said guitar body alongside said strings with said one side surface facing outwardly of said guitar body.

4 5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said roughened References Cited side surface of said guard body is defined by a plurality UNITED STATES PATENTS of outstanding generally parallel ridges extending across said one side surface of said guard body. 2468'374 4/1949 Nelson 84 267 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said ridges are 5 longitudinally straight and generally parallel to said RICHARD WILKINSON Pnmary Emmmer' strings. G. M. POLUMBUS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GUARD PLATE FOR A STRINGED INSTRUMENT SUCH AS A GUITAR INCLUDING A BODY FROM WHICH AN ELONGATED NECK PROJECTS, THE STRINGS OF SAID INSTRUMENT EXTENDING FROM THE FREE END PORTION OF SAID NECK ALONG THE LATTER TO A REMOTE PORTION OF SAID BODY, SAID GUARD PLATE COMPRISING A PANEL-LIKE BODY INCLUDING ONE SIDE SURFACE WHICH IS ROUGHENED AND BEING ADAPTED FOR SECUREMENT TO SAID GUITAR BODY ALONG ONE SIDE OF SAID STRINGS WITH SAID ONE SIDE SURFACE OF SAID GUARD BODY FACING OUTWARDLY OF SAID GUITAR BODY.
 4. IN COMBINATION WITH A STRINGED INSTRUMENT OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A BODY FROM WHICH AN ELONGATED NECK PROJECTS AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF STRINGS SECURED AT ONE PAIR OF CORRESPONDING ENDS TO THE FREE END PORTION OF SAID NECK WITH SAID STRINGS EXTENDING ALONG SAID NECK AND 